In the 13 days between the Eagles’ defensive meltdown against the Titans and their impressive showing against the Colts, McDermott developed a game plan that outmaneuvered one of the most crafty quarterbacks who has ever played.

The 36-year-old defensive coordinator who faced doubts about his ability and job security delivered a second big fix of the season. He already had patched a run defense that showed too many holes early in the year. On Sunday, he orchestrated a pass defense that recovered from the Kenny Britt show to hit, intercept, and limit Peyton Manning.

McDermott did it with an innovative game plan that used a variety of fronts, blitzes, and coverages. Whatever Manning saw on one drive, something different came at him the next. A lineman might rush out of a given formation one play and then drop into coverage the next.

“We tried to mix up some things pressure-wise and [in] coverage and tried to keep him off balance all game,” McDermott said in the Eagles’ locker room after the game.

The Eagles’ defense seemed to have as many looks as a New York fashion show.

In the first quarter, it kept linebacker Moise Fokou in with its nickel package – in place of Ernie Sims, who usually plays with that group – and blitzed him. On a second and 20, he sat back with the linebackers, but moments before the snap he moved to the line of scrimmage while the defensive linemen shifted to their right.

They seem unfairly targeted as a cheap-shot team, so all of the penalties must be bogus.

Right?

Wrong.

Yes, the Eagles’ defense held the Colts to 24 points in the Birds’ two-point win Sunday, but 21 of those 24 points came as a direct result of sloppy fouls.

The sandwich shot from safeties Quintin Mikell and Kurt Coleman that knocked out Colts receiver Austin Collie hurt the Eagles’ cause, sure. It wasn’t the worst penalty of the drive.

A few minutes earlier, on third-and-10 at the Colts’ 20, cornerback Dimitri Patterson was flagged for illegal contact, which gave the Colts an automatic first down. The Colts eventually scored their second touchdown of the second quarter and took a lead, and the momentum.

Near the beginning of the quarter, Eagles middle linebacker Stewart Bradley had tight end Jacob Tamme well-covered down the middle. Manning threw it anyway. Bradley never bothered to turn to look for the ball; he just ran over Tamme.

That 19-yard pass-interference blunder gave the Colts the ball at the Eagles’ 10. The Colts scored two plays later.

Finally, when the Eagles needed a defensive play to punctuate what would be a signature win, to exorcise the horrid memories of leads blown earlier this season, they appeared to get it.

“The Eagles announced yesterday what was reported Tuesday night, that they have signed safety Colt Anderson off the Vikings’ practice squad, releasing running back Joique Bell from the roster and defensive end Pannel Egboh from the practice squad.

Bell was expected to land on the practice squad, but he was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts.

The Eagles have been carrying only three safeties, and coach Andy Reid said Monday that Nate Allen, who has a neck injury, is unlikely to be available this week at Washington.

“They just felt like now was the time to get me and make sure I’m there,” Anderson told the Montana Standard, his hometown paper. “I’m really excited. I’m excited to get out on the field and prove myself.